1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of tarpaulins and sheets and associated connectors for moving or hauling objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The collection and moving of leaves presents a major problem to the home owner. Various techniques are utilized such as mulching and then leaving the residue atop the grass. Alternatively, the leaves may be raked and gathered into piles and then moved to another location off the lawn. A typical technique is to rake the leaves onto a tarpaulin or bed sheet with the tarpaulin or sheet then being grasped and tugged or pulled to a remote location. As the leaves become wet or large in quantity, it becomes difficult to hold on to the sheet simply by grasping the corner of the sheet by hand. I have therefore devised a handle which may be releasably extended through the sheet allowing a person to grasp the handle to pull or move the sheet with leaves across the lawn. The handle is also particularly useful in pulling other objects such as old shingles removed from a roof or a variety of other objects. In addition, there is a need to provide a handle for lifting the sheet and for allowing the sheet to be formed as a bag to prevent the objects from falling off one edge.
The prior art includes a number of handles fixedly mounted to or removably mounted to a variety of different objects. Likewise, a variety of tarpaulins have been designed for accomplishing a number of objectives. For example, in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,402 there is disclosed a lawn tarp for use in pulling a variety of objects across the surface of the ground by hand or while attached behind a motorized vehicle. The tarp includes a plurality of eyelets of adequate size for insertion of a rope or bungee cord. The mounting or forming of eyelets in a tarpaulin is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,447. Eyelets may be used to fix a tarpaulin to the ground while leaves are placed thereon such as shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,232. A tarpaulin can also be used to surround a tree to automatically catch the leaves as the leaves fall off the tree such as shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,635. A flexible handle for moving a tarpaulin equipped with grommets or eyelets is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,088. Another approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,133 wherein a flexible generally rectangular sheet shaped as a scoop is used to haul leaves and other materials.
Despite the prior devices and methods, there is still a need for a handle attachable to any type of tarpaulin or sheet which will not accidentally become disengaged from the sheet while at the same time providing a handle for the user to pull and/or lift the sheet. Disclosed herein is such a handle.